


Peace

by CiderWriter (orphan_account)



Series: Christmas [3]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Anniversary, Charles Being Concerned, Death, Erik Has Feelings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 13:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8754358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CiderWriter
Summary: DAY 4 of Christmas Countdown~I don’t know why you bothered coming in today, Erik.~Charles’ voice in his head was a blessing. He knew his friend had been lurking around in the back of his mind all day and, for once, he hadn’t cared at all.





	

Erik hadn’t been paying attention to the teacher since he’d entered the classroom. He watched the snow instead; felt the ice cold of the school gates across the car-park and the way the cars complained as they froze up. He felt the same.

_I don’t know why you bothered coming in today, Erik._

Charles’ voice in his head was a blessing. He knew his friend had been lurking around in the back of his mind all day and, for once, he hadn’t cared at all. He glanced from the window to the other side of the classroom, where Charles sat making notes rapidly. That didn’t stop the other boy from having his eyes fixed on Erik, round and worried. He was biting his lower lip too.

_Rather here than at home._

Home. It was ridiculous to even call it that. Home was his mother and her hugs, and the way she smiled at him and sang to him when he was a child. Home was six-feet under. Now there was school and Charles, and the abominable house of Shaw he slept in when he’d spent too long at Charles’.

_I hate it when you say things like that. You could just come and live with me you know. No-one would find out; I did the same with Raven._

_No._ Erik replied sharply, looking back to the window. He didn’t want to move in with Charles. Or he did, but he didn’t think he could bear it. He didn’t want to be Charles’ brother, adopted into his little family the way that Raven had been. There were only a few more months left to go anyway, and in the summer he’d graduate and follow Charles to England and escape Shaw forever. Until then, he was perfectly well-equipped to put up with the way he was living. It had been this way for precisely three years now. It was the anniversary of his mother’s death.

Charles huffed his indignation in Erik’s head, but said nothing else. He wasn’t really offended anyway. Or, if he was, he wouldn’t say anything. Not today. Charles had spent the last two anniversaries trying to convince Erik to talk about his feelings or ask for help, and it was a small blessing that he was finally just accepting what Erik wanted.

 _Yes. Well don’t think for one second that I believe all you want is silence._ Charles’ voice resurfaced in his thoughts. _But I’ll stop bothering you._

Erik almost sighed in gratitude. He picked up his pen, aware that the rest of the class had started writing, and glanced at the board for instructions.

 _Red alert._ Charles projected suddenly.

It wasn’t enough warning. Erik almost jumped when he realised that their teacher, MacTaggert, was directly beside him in the aisle between desks. She crouched down, hands on his desk and a face like he was dying in the street.

“Erik, you know where I’m about to send you- don’t you?” She asked. Her voice was so soft, he couldn’t quite decide whether her concern was genuine or whether she was over-compensating with sickly faux-maternal efforts.

“Germany?” He asked, disdain dripping off his every feature. It was bad enough still having to come to school, but MacTaggert was the worst. Given a choice between her and Shaw, Erik wasn’t entirely certain he wouldn’t pick Shaw.

“Erik.” She said, reproachfully. “I know this is a very difficult day for you. I think it’s commendable that you’re putting your education first, but I really do think you should go to see the Councillor.”

 _Charles_. Erik turned his head to his best friend quickly, desperate. _I will do anything if you send her away from me right now._

_That wouldn’t be very ethical of me, now would it? Besides, it’s not like you’re doing any work here._

“Erik?” MacTaggert was, if possible, looking even more worried. She was dangerously close to placing a hand on his, he thought, so he pushed his chair back angrily and pulled his bag over his shoulder.

“Fine.” He snapped, moving from the room. _And that isn’t the point._ He continued to Charles, bitterly. _I didn’t come here to do work or speak to anyone else._

_Erik?_

He left the classroom without looking back. Perhaps he was emotional and tired; he hadn’t slept very well last night. He did miss his mother and the prospect of spending another Christmas alone, ignoring Shaw, made him feel sick to the stomach. The fact that Charles didn’t even understand was gut-wrenching.

He’d be damned if he actually did go to the counsellor. He’d go and find Aze or Janos and get them to skive with him. They, unlike Charles, were neither knowledgeable about the importance of the date or perceptive about his mood. They would be quite happy to head into town or drive to the middle of nowhere and distract him with idiocy.

“Erik?!”

He turned in time to see Charles moving his hand from his head, the classroom door closing behind him gently.

“I don’t understand.” Charles said, round blue eyes sparkling with confusion. It was a rare look on Charles. Charles, who knew all and walked through life as though on a route he’d taken a hundred times before. Now, he looked his age, and Erik wanted to hold him tightly until it had passed. “Why _did_ you bother coming in today? You don’t want help, you don’t want to work, and you don’t want me to interfere. Frankly, I’m struggling to work out what you _do_ want.”

Erik shrugged. “I wish I could tell you.”

“Peace?

“Peace was never an option.” _Not with you buzzing around me._

Charles laughed gently. “I wasn’t serious before; I’ll do whatever you want and make it happen without questions. We could walk out right now if you want. You just have to tell me what it is you want.”

Erik didn’t say anything for a long moment, thinking over what it was he wanted. At one point, he would have said to be able to go back in time. To go back to when they were children, happy and oblivious. When his mother had been alive and the name Shaw had never been spoken around him before. Back before he was in love with his best friend, and the world was cold, contracting metal.

“I don’t really know.” He leaned back against the wall and slid down onto the floor. “I don’t know what I want, Charles. Every year I tell myself I’m not going to come in on this day, and then I do. Because you’re the only thing that makes anything any better. Even when you’re pestering me.”

Charles smiled ruefully, kneeling opposite him. “Even when I’m an annoying buzzing wasp at the back of your mind?”

“I’d say you’re more of a bee, Charles. And even then.”

The smile turned into a grin, and the pretty blue eyes lit up like stars in the country night sky. “Well good.” Charles leaned forwards, then, and before Erik could even take a breath, their lips had met. “Like a brother indeed.” He murmured. “Come on. Let’s go to town. We can go ice skating.”


End file.
